Liam Rosenior's appointment by Chelsea should serve as inspiration for all young coaches attempting to reach the top of the game, says Calum McFarlane.

Youth coach McFarlane was in the dugout as Chelsea drew 1-1 with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and will lead the Blues once more at Fulham on Wednesday.

Rosenior will watch that West London derby from the stands before taking the reins ahead of an FA Cup tie against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, having signed a six-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge upon his departure from Strasbourg on Tuesday. 

Rosenior was sacked by Hull City for failing to reach the Championship play-offs as recently as 2024, and McFarlane believes the way the 41-year-old has proved his worth elsewhere before joining the world champions makes his return to England a remarkable story.

"I'm sure all young English coaches from an academy background will be, in some way, rooting for Liam," McFarlane said on Tuesday.

"It is really inspirational for young academy coaches to see that and we hope he does really well."

Asked how Rosenior's appointment could impact Chelsea's young players, the Under-21 head coach said: "I am sure it will be a really good connection. 

"Cobham is part of this club and part of the history of this club. It is something the club is proud of. It is in the DNA.

"I know it is something the sporting directors are proud of and it is part of our job to make Liam's job difficult in terms of bringing more players into the first team."

In the more immediate future, Chelsea need three points to cut the gap to fourth-placed Liverpool and hold off a host of teams behind them in the Premier League table, with Fulham among that group.

Marco Silva's side are only three points adrift of Chelsea after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to five Premier League matches (three wins, two draws).

And in-form winger Harry Wilson sees no reason why Fulham cannot keep that streak going, telling the club's website: "We know Chelsea are an amazing team, they've got fantastic players. 

"But when we played them early on in the season, we were really unlucky not to win that game – a couple of decisions went against us. 

"We know that if we perform to the levels we did there, then there's no reason we can't put on another good performance and get the three points."